Adjustable gastric banding systems provide an effective and substantially less invasive alternative to gastric bypass surgery and other conventional surgical weight loss procedures. Despite the sustained weight loss of invasive weight loss procedures, such as gastric bypass surgery, it has been recognized that sustained weight loss can also be achieved through a laparoscopically-placed gastric band, for example, the LAP-BAND® (Allergan, Inc., Irvine, Calif.) gastric band or the LAP-BAND APO (Allergan, Inc., Irvine, Calif.) gastric band. Generally, gastric bands are placed about the cardia, or upper portion, of a patient's stomach forming a stoma that restricts the food's passage into a lower portion of the stomach. When the stoma is of an appropriate size that is restricted by a gastric band, food held in the upper portion of the stomach provides a feeling of satiety or fullness that discourages overeating. Unlike gastric bypass surgery procedures, adjustable gastric banding systems are reversible and require no permanent modification to the gastrointestinal tract.
Over time, a stoma created by the gastric band may need an adjustment in order to maintain an appropriate size, which is neither too restrictive nor too passive. Prior art gastric banding systems provide a subcutaneous fluid access port connected to an expandable or inflatable portion of the gastric band. By adding fluid to or removing fluid from the inflatable portion by means of a hypodermic needle inserted into the fluid access port, the effective size of the gastric band can be adjusted to provide a tighter or looser constriction.
It would be desirable to allow for non-invasive adjustment of gastric band constriction, for example, without the use of the hypodermic needle. Thus, remotely adjustable gastric banding systems capable of non-invasive adjustment are desired and described herein.